Challengers of the Darkness
by Alan's Only
Summary: AU pretty much...Severus was in that same orphage with Riddle...and he shares his history with his friend in his year...HG...RW...DM...GW...and HP...what was it Riddle REALLY wanted from severus...safe for friendship?...SSHG SSTR DMGW RWHP
1. First Song

Disclaimer: No one who wrote this story or helped owns: the songs or Draco, Harry Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Snape.  
  
Hello all. I, Alan's only, didn't write this story. My friend did. But Damian and I did help her get the idea and help her put our ideas together. So please enjoy!!!!!!!!  
  
Challengers of the Darkness  
Chapter 1  
The start of a band  
  
Ginny slowly walked on stage, her red hair falling slightly into her pale face. Hermione was already on the stage, a younger Snape could be seen behind a keyboard, Draco was sitting behind a set of Silver and green drums, and Ron was standing with a bass crimson guitar and Harry had another, which was a soft gold, waiting for the signal from Ginny. (AN: Ginny in the same year, Snapes in the school as a regular student, and lets just say that I'm going to make this sooooo interesting.)  
  
As Ginny walked to the black mic. and Hermione stepped up to her silver one, the crowd silenced. Everyone went dead as Ginny silently lifted her head slowly and the lights went out just as slow, except for a light blue one situated on her head, casting a dark shadow. She opened her mouth and let her words flow...(AN: Actually, they belong to Evanescence.)  
  
Snape started his lead, the fluent sound that sounded like violins in an empty staircase, catching everyone's breath with Ginny humming. Hermione was in the background singing "Fall...ing...flow...ers..." which lingered out of her mic. Then Harry and Ron started their duet for the beginning.  
  
"I linger in the door way, Of alarm clocks screaming- Monsters calling my name. Let me stay! Where the wind will whisper to me, Where the raindrops As their falling tell a story.   
  
In my field of falling flowers, And candy clouds of lullaby. (Flowers) I lie in myself for hours, And watch my purple sky fly over me (Flowers)...  
  
Don't say I'm out of touch, With this rampant chaos---Your reality.  
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge.  
The nightmare I built my own world to escape...(escape)  
  
In my field of falling flowers,  
And candy clouds of lullaby. (Flowers)  
I lie inside my soul for hours,  
And watch my purple sky fly over me...(Flowers)"  
  
Snape now tuned his keyboard back to the light keyboarding sounds and now a small light played across his part of the stage, and then a cello started to mix into the piano and Ginny started again.  
  
"Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming, Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights."  
  
Now in the background came the sound of violins, still beautifully mixed into the sounds of the cello and high piano.  
  
"Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming, The goddess of imaginary lights..."  
  
There was a loud "Bum-Bum-Bum" a couple of times on the drums and a huge back light appeared where Fluer and her classmates were in a choir formed- like bleachers with Fluer in the front conducting them like a band, only with voices. She looked very serious, but it made it hard since she was only in a leotard and tailcoat. She turned while still conducting and nodded to Ginny.  
  
"In my field of falling flowers, And candy clouds of lullaby. (Flowers) I lie inside my soul for hours, And watch my purple sky fly over me...(Flowers)"  
  
Now it was Hermione's turn to shine fully as Ginny's head sank to her chest and her light faded over to Hermione.  
  
"...Fall...ing...flow...ers..."  
  
Paper origami Sakura blossoms started to fall from the ceiling in a kinda of rain pattern as Hermione sang.  
  
"...Fall...ing...flow...ers..."  
  
The ending music was of Harry, Ron and Snape, all letting their music fade with the last of the lights.  
  
There was a loud scream of cheers as the rest of the flowers fell and the lights came back on and Ginny lifted her head with a bright smile on her face. Ron, Draco, Harry and Snape were grinning at each other and Hermione and Ginny were hugging and jumping up and down at their first start as a band. Challengers of the Dark  
  
(TBC)  
  
Boo! How'd ya like it? Hope you liked it. Because eof those who did, it depends on you to see if I put up a second chapter! Buwahahah! But if I get too many flames, I'll get rid of it, so pleeeeease only CC! Heh, thanks! And for all those who like it, me an Alan's Only will post as often as we type, and as we get Internet access. So bear with us here! Heh, bye for now! (As for CH2 its long and futile...erm, I mean, its not futile. Its sad, but to get it, you must read and only give CC. I'm sure all of us authors hate flames. Though their so pretty... watch's flames from her candle..."Ooooo, pretty..." . ) 


	2. Lyrices of a dreadfull past

Disclaimer- J.K. Rowlings char's don't belong to me or my co-author who has helped me through this. And the songs don't belong to the band, but Evanescence.  
  
The beginnings- Their all in the prefects bathroom, this is before the concert, discussing the song and lyrics. This is all from Snape's past, and Hermione is writing this all down. Their a bit wavering of each other, but Snape says that the past is the best way to feel the lyrics and get to know and trust each other... So he tells them a story...Of a dreadful past... (AN: This is all a POV from above, K?)  
  
Challengers of the Darkness  
Chapter 2  
Lyrics of a Dread-Full Past  
  
They were all in the prefect's bathroom. Ron and Harry were nude in the bath with lots of bubbles to avoid seeing each other. Hermione was sitting across from Snape, parchment in hand with a muggle pen posited above the parchment, waiting. While Draco was sitting across from Ginny, next to Hermione, playing and testing different sounds on the floor on the bathroom with his drum sticks and smiling at Ginny once in a while to make her blush and laugh. Ginny was on the back wall with Snape, looking at him while Snape told them of the fact that it'd be better in their lyrics to have the past insinuated in them.  
  
"Well, as far back as I can remember..."  
  
...Paper...Flowers...  
  
The father is yelling at a child and a mother. The child is crying in the corner, and the mother is standing in front of her child, trying to protect him from the father, but the father slaps her away and grabs the child by the scruff of the shirt and slams him into a wall. The mother cries out and lunges for the mans arm, but he throws the child at her, yells something and storms out, leaving the door open to show that it is a heavy rain. The mother's face is hidden by her hair as she makes the final decision as she is whispering sweet things to her child, and is wiping the blood from the child's head with a handkerchief from underneath the vase of dead flowers, to comfort him, when she knows that it is the last thing she will do...  
  
The child stands in the Orphanage doorway, drenched in rain and fighting helplessly to get back to the car. There is a retreating figure, vaguely the shape of a woman, and the child is reaching out, but is stuck in the doorway, as silent hands are around his waist, trying to pull him into the building.  
  
"Let me stay!" The faint cries of the child goes unnoticed as the woman steps into her car, her black suede heels curling into the expensive car and the door slams shut. The child cries over and over again "Let me stay!" but they are ignored by both the woman and the hands as he is dragged inside, the tail-lights of the car disappearing behind a corner and the last of the boys wet body is dragged inside and the door closed with a snap. A faint "Let me stay" is heard through the hug and fake sweet nothings he is whispered to from the Orphanage Councilors.  
  
They show him to a white room, with a lock on the outside, to lock him in, and isolate him. Feeding him through a hole at the bottom of the door, three times a day. Nothing to entertain him but the sound of his own breathing. He started to go insane when there was a click and his room was unlocked. He peeked out, saw no one, figured that someone was being nice, or sneaky, and rushed out past the doors where a hand reached out and grasped his shoulders and tugged him into the darkness. A dark haired boy stood there and he was smiling.  
  
"Hi, I'm Tom, what's your name?" the boy asked in a small voice that was barely above a whisper.  
  
"Uh, Severus. Did you unlock my door?" the younger boy asked as silently. The other boy nodded and smiled.  
  
"You've been in there too long and the councilors say that only the newer ones can be let out if one of the other children let them out. I saw you come in, and I'm sorry. I saw it all." He looked down "Sorry to spy, but I also saw how much they were feeding you. I've been in that room before. It's so white and started to drive me mad too, till Lily set me loose, but she got adopted a while back. So I just set out to make new friends, but someone named James didn't like me because me an Lily were so close, so he sent all of his friends after me. It was scary at times, but I got over it. So now when I saw them dra-...er...bring you in, I decided that in the name of Lily, I'd do the same and set you free."  
  
"How charming, why couldn't you have done that oh, about a month ago?!" He hissed at the older boy and glowered.  
  
The boy looked sheepish and shrugged" I didn't want to be too nice. I didn't get out till 2 months after they put me in that thing. But I was nice, okay?"  
  
"Heh, wonder what made your precious Lily not set you free sooner?"  
  
"Shut up! I set you free, and this is the thanks I get?!"  
  
"Yes" Severus sneered at the older boy in amusement, but his face fell when he realized he was acting a bit like his father and sighed.  
  
"Listen, I'm sorry. Guess that room put me off a bit. Do you accept it?" He asked lightly and put out his hand.  
  
The other boy looked at his hand skeptically, but he shrugged and set his hand in the other boys. "Sure, that room made me a bit crude too, so don't feel bad."  
  
'Trust me, I don't...' thought Severus amusingly and a smile came to his lips.  
  
'I think he likes me!' though Tom happily. 'I've finally made a friend!...Again!' He too had a smile on his lips.  
  
"Then our friendship is final! But you need a shorter name. What's your surname?" asked Tom lightly.  
  
"Snape. Go ahead and call me that."  
  
A few years passed and they had become close friends. Though one day some people came to look at Tom for adoption and Snape wasn't allowed to be there, so he was locked in the white room again for a second time. When he was let out, Tom looked very melancholy (Co. AN Ooooo, She used a big word! whap w/ nerfbat . Owe...) and was sitting on the floor in the corner of their favorite room that was empty at the moment. Snape kneeled and looked at him weirdly.  
  
"Hey, Tom, what's wrong?"  
  
Tom just shook his head and looked sadder.  
  
"Hey, it cant be that bad! Cheer up...Please?" Snape touched Tom's hand lightly and Tom looked up sharply at him in surprise. Snape on instinct withdrew his hand with a snap.  
  
"No! Its okay...Its just...I didn't think you'd want to know..." Tom looked sad again and his head made a soft "Flumph" as it hit his knee when he put them up to hide his face. Snape went down and sat on his shins and touching his head lightly, and brought Tom's head up to look him in the eyes. Tom had tears streaming down his face and his breath was obviously being controlled.  
  
"What's...wrong?" Snape asked forcefully.  
  
"I've...Been adopted..." Tom's eyes grew small when Snape blinked and his face fell into a look as sad as Tom's.  
  
"So...you...should be happy...and...don't worry about me. I'll be okay..." Snape turned away and looked at the wall, his hands still on Tom's head. Now it was Tom's turn to reach for Snape's head and turn it towards his own. Tears were at the corner of Snapes eyes, but wouldn't fall.  
  
"Hey, don't worry, I'll write from the Riddle's house, okay?" He tilted his head and Snape nodded.  
  
"But I don't know if they'll let the letter through...How will I get them?" Asked Snape not looking very happy.  
  
"I'll have the postman deliver them right to you! The Riddle's are really rich, so I can do that." he smiled and leaned forward.  
  
"But just between you and me, I'll make their life a livin hell for takin me away from my best bud."  
  
Snape just smiled and nodded, feeling a bit better. Just then Tom had started to lean forward again--  
  
(AN: Now, remember people, Snape has his hands on Tom's head, and Tom's hands on Snape's. And not that one your perverts! (Co. AN: I told her to put that there...really! Whap oww.... Damnit! goes after the regular author with her keyboard) erm, enough of that. But remember!)  
  
--And Snape too leaned forward thinking that Tom wanted to say something else, but as Tom closed his eyes, Snape's grew wide as he heard footsteps and backed away from Tom. As Tom fell forward onto the carpet, the adults walked in and it looked as if Tom was crying on the floor with Snape a little way, tears in his eyes, so they figured he had told him the news and silently picked him up. Tom started to fight with them.  
  
"No! Bring Snape too! Please?" He begged in anguish.  
  
"I'm sorry dear, but we can only support one of you growing children."  
  
"But you guys are rich!"  
  
"Yes, but...we...uh...have other things to pay for as well. So no Tom." She started to walk away and one of the councilors picked Snape's arm up and started to walk the other way, dragging him along, but both were fighting tooth and nail to get to each other.  
  
"Toooooommm!!!!" Snape yelled from the other side of the room.  
  
"Noo!!! Snaaaaaappppeeee!!!! Let me go!!! At least let me say goodbye! Damnit let me Goooooo!!!!" The mother and the father finally called one of the other councilors and the councilor had a needle filled with some clear liquid.  
  
"Tom!!! Watch out!!" Snape screamed to no avail. The needle was thrust into Tom's arm and the clear liquid disappeared into his arm. His eyes went wide, he gurgled a "Snape...." then his eyes shut and he slumped forward into the father's arms. He picked him up and started to walk out when he heard a growl as Snape started to fight against the hands restraining him. He finally broke loose and dove for the father, but one of the councilors came a shoved a fist into his gut, knocking the wind out of him, and making him double over. Snape looked up as his vision started to go blurry and he reached out to the unconscious Tom. He tried to say something but it came out a gurgle, and he slumped forward, unconscious.  
  
The next day he spent looking for Tom everywhere. Though no avail. He looked in the room they shared...Nothing. He looked in the playrooms for all ages...Nothing!  
  
"Where the hell is he..." He whispered to himself. "Those councilors are going to pay for taking him away...I swear it!" He started to walk around the orphanage again and came across a group of councilors whispering. Faint "Crazy...Snape... Should be locked up again...Out of touch...Can't be helped...Full of chaos..." were faintly heard and this enraged Snape further. He was already breathing hard from running around all day and something in his head snapped.  
  
"Don't say I'm not out of touch!! With this rampant chaos...It's your reality!! I know damn well what lies beyond this refuge...this HELL! I wish you nightmares till you die you evil bastards!" he yelled at them, and booked it out of the doorway. It was raining outside, and suddenly all the lights went out. He ran, and found a door with an open lock on it. He dashed inside, and fell down a staircase.  
  
"Owe...Shit that hurt! ...What the fuck?!" He looked around. It was a cellar. Old, dusty, he could see cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and shivered as a draft wafted through the cellar. He looked around, to see where the draft was coming from and noticed a long crack in the wall, on the far side, barely noticeable. He ran over to it and followed the crack with his fingertip. It seemed to sigh and the wall moved to reveal a room.  
  
"The hell..." He gasped as he walked inside and noticed the purple ceiling. He looked around and noticed that the walls were purple, with white splotches with a hue of pink to them...as if they were clouds...  
  
"Okay, this is really weird...Food!" he dashed over to the far side where there was a mini fridge that held both soda but water as well. There were stores of dry food next to it, which had more drinks and one entire wall was clothes and blankets.  
  
"They've been hoarding! Those damn bastards..." He looked around and noticed a large stack of papers, and remembered what he used to do as a child, but make paper flowers with his mother...Before he left anyway and his fists shook angrily and he walked over to the stack and started to fold. He spent hours there, not noticing that the wall had closed back up, and the councilors thought he was gone. When he got hungry, he went over to the stores, ate and drank some water, leaving the pop for later. Once he was done with the stack, he didn't know what time it was, but he was tired and he slept.  
  
He awoke and sat up from his place on the floor where he was surrounded by blankets and paper flowers from origami, that it kinda looked like a field.  
  
He decided that he wanted to save them and went searching through the boxes. He found some string and some tacks, and spent the rest of his time hanging the flowers up on the wall. He smiled and turned around in his room. They were gorgeous on the walls next to the clouds of pink and a good contrast to the purple ceiling.  
  
He ate some more and drank some of his pop. He looked around but noticed nothing that he could use for entertainment now that the paper flowers were on the wall, so he just lay down and looked up at the ceiling.  
  
After a while of looking up it seemed as if the sky was moving and he started to cry. Tom was gone and his mother had sent him here, so he now had no one. He cried and screamed at no one. Ranting and raving, muttering to himself and banging on the walls away from his flowers.  
  
He sat on the floor and remembers that day when he first came got very angry, but soon fell asleep again.  
  
He spent a lot of time over the next few weeks just ranting to himself, wish to die to get him out of here sense he found that he could get out.  
  
Though luckily he had food, he had nothing to amuse himself with, and it was driving him mad. So, after about 3 weeks he looked down on himself and realized he needed new clothes. So, he went searching and found a new set of clothes and threw the old ones against the corner furiously.  
  
He got dressed and as he removed some more clothes he noticed something under them. He threw the rest of the clothes out of the box and gasped at what he saw. It was a keyboard. He brought it out and noticed the manual book fall from atop it.  
  
He picked it up and spent the next week learning from the manual, and finally when he thought he could play he started to play some very old, gothic cathedral sounding music (AN: If you have an Evanescence CD, turn to 12) and smiled at its depressing sounds.  
  
He played for hours, rarely eating and looking around and seeing Tom. He crashed to his feet and raced to him but found that it was just his imagination and sat down on the floor and started to play again, this time tears slipping down his face.  
  
Later on, he didn't know when he heard cries from above him. He listened hard and heard that the kids were crying about sleepless nights, that the orphanage was haunted, and that strange music kept them awake at night. He smiled to himself when he heard the councilors had too heard the music, and had many sleepless nights. That maybe the place was haunted. He had heard enough. He burst out laughing, and laughed for a good while till he was wheezing and got up to get something to drink. He ate a lot and continued playing.  
  
For weeks on end he was like that, eating, drinking, he found a place where he could relieve himself in a corner that it would go straight down, away from him and into the ground. He didn't know where, but it got the smell away from him. He had made marks on the wall since he was down there and predicted that he had been down there for almost 7 months. And all the while as he played, he had grown quite good. He made his own melodies, and they all sounded to sad that sometimes he played them before he went to bed. After about another week he realized that the crying was gone, and only the sounds of the owner of the building. He listened in one day.  
  
"I've been hearing music, from below ground, and it scared the children. We had to get them out of here. Many were very sickly from not sleeping, and many wouldn't venture out of their rooms at times. I wish for this building to be condemned and another built away from here. Alright?" he barked. There were "Yes sirs" and such and Snape looked at the ceiling in horror.  
  
"Oh no...I've got to get out of here! Shit, how will I do that?!" Snape raced around the room, looking for something to open the wall with. He tried bang on it, but to no avail. He tried running his hands along the crack, but that didn't work either.  
  
He finally just lay his forehead on the wall and cried himself to sleep.  
  
CRASH  
  
"What the?!" Snape's head snapped up and he jolted away from the wall. He looked up and shielded his face as debris fell around him. He coughed and wiped his face from the dust that had settled.  
  
"There's a boy here!" A voice called out from the cloud. A man in an orange suit stepped through the hole they had made. He held out his hand and Snape just looked at it oddly.  
  
"Beep...Larry?! The bombs go off in 2 minutes! If there's a boy, get him the hell out of there!! Damnit, go!" a voice came out of the mans walkie- talkie.  
  
"C'mon kid! You heard him. Get going! "The man picked Snape up around the middle and ran up the stairs. As he ran down the hall Snape noticed that it seemed deserted, old, and ruined.  
  
He managed to get away from the man and ran towards the room he and Tom had shared and saw that it was the worst of them all. It lay in ruin. Tears welled up in Snape's eyes and he stood there, stiff, hands shaking at his sides but it was stopped by the sudden emerge of hands that carried him off. They were just running out of the building when the first bomb imploded and Snape looked over the man's shoulder to see one part of the building start to fall. There were two more explosions and the entire building collapsed into rubble.  
  
He burned in anger. His keyboard, his past, his flowers that reminded him of his mother, his pink candy clouds, his purple sky. Everything reduced to rubble. He shook his head angrily.  
  
"Damn you all..." Snape whispered.  
  
"Watch who you damn boy, for it may come back to haunt you little wizard." The man whispered back.  
  
"What did you call me?"  
  
"You're a wizard. Well, 75% of one anyway. So I guess you could be considered a wizard. It over powers your muggle self."  
  
"My what!?"  
  
"I'll explain later, for now we have to get you out of here."  
  
Snape nodded numbly and dozed off. When he awoke he was in a bed, with sheets, a clean body and in night clothes. He blushed and looked around, realizing that someone had to have done that, and noticed the nanny sleeping in the corner chair. He blushed and snuck out of the room, intent on finding out where the hell he was and he came to a parlor. He snuck inside, closed the door, and jumped when the fireplace blazed to show a figure in casual clothes, but looking like the same guy who rescued him the day before.  
  
"Where are we?" He asked in a small voice.  
  
"At my home near Hogwarts." Came the casual reply.  
  
"Near what?"  
  
It was the next day, and Snape was about to board a giant train. 'The Hogwarts Express' it read. He turned back to see the wizard, Larry, and smiled when he saw a box under his arm.  
  
"I got ya something as a going away present. It's to replace the one I found in the rubble, and figured it had to have been yours." He said quickly and grinned. "But don't open it till you get on the train okay?"  
  
Snape nodded and boarded the train with the box and his luggage and waved Larry goodbye. Larry just smiled and waved back and went through the barrier back to the muggle world. Snape wasn't able to find a compartment, and he quickly passed the compartment where some girl with frizzy hair was fixing some kids glasses. He rushed past and went into the back storage place, dropped his stuff off and pulled out the box. He quickly undid the latch and gasped at what he saw. It was his keyboard. The nicks and everything on it. He thought that it was just that way except for the origami Sakura flower that when he had first gotten it, he had carved into the side. Then he remembers Larry's words.  
  
"To replace the one I saw in the rubble...Had to be yours..." Snape smiled and smoothed his hands along the finely carved Sakura blossom.  
  
(TBC)  
  
(AN: Awwwww! Poor Snape's past was soooo sad!! Is crying even as the author that made me depressed! I'm sooo good! Poses and does a dance Muahahahaha! Is that the end? Am I evil? Am I...) (Co. AN: Are you a bitch?) (AN: Shut up wenchbag!) (Co. AN: whaps with her own keyboard ) (AN: Ow.... Weeeee! whaps with her nerfbat, knocking the other author unconscious. Heh, but yeah. I'm not that evil, so as soon as I get it done, I'll post the next chapter for all of you lovely people! Heh, if I'm nice...Maaaaaybe. ) (Co. AN: Hey! What do you mean unconscious? I'm still awake!) (AN: growls and whaps her over the head with the monitor and grins down at the body now stay unconscious and let our reviewers review!) (Co. AN: mutters in her sleep You broke my monitor, bitch...mutters ) (AN: huffs and goes to get duck tape...) 


	3. Don't hate you anymore

Disclaimer- J.K. Rowling's character's don't belong to me or my co-author who has helped me through this. And the songs don't belong to the band, but Evanescence. (Oh, and this is before the concert, continuing from CH2)  
  
Challengers of the Darkness   
Chapter 3  
Don't Hate You Anymore  
  
As Snape finished the story he opened his eyes to a crying Hermione, tears were streaming down Ginny's face, Draco had a look of utter surprise on his face and Harry and Ron were looking at Snape in horror. Snape nodded his head and sighed.  
  
"So yeah, I never saw him again. I never got any letters, no contact, anything. I was practically as bad as they were for isolating myself. Though, I'm really good at the keyboard now!" he smiled and laughed when the rest of them did as well.  
  
"So, Hermione, you get all that?" Snape looked over at her and she nodded and showed him the 44 pages of parchment. (AN: CH2 was 44 pages in Microsoft Word...Damn...)He blinked at her and smiled.  
  
"Now, to make a song from it. C'mon Draco, we'll go and get this started." said Ginny as she stood and held out a hand for Draco. He nodded, grabbed the parchment from Hermione and stood. They walked over to the wall where the mermaid resided and woke her to help them with the lyrics.  
  
Snape just shook his head and Hermione sighed.  
  
"That was a lot to write Hermione, you sure you got it all?" asked Ron playfully.  
  
She shot a death glare at him and he backed off, muttering something about just joking and she laughed and splashed him with the lavender scented water.  
  
"Gee Ron, you sure you got all that?" She asked, grinning while Ron lifted an arm and sniffed, then looked horrified.  
  
"You made the water smell like girls!! Ahhhh!!!" he yelped and started for the side where his towel was and jumped out. Not realizing that the others were holding in giggles as he wrapped himself in the towel and turned around. When they realized what color the towel was, they all burst into laughter and Ron looked down at his waist and blushed.  
  
"Gee Ron, that towel matches the blush so well, you should continue the look. It looks so good on you." Hermione snickered which threw them all, even Ron, into laughter.  
  
Once their laughter had died down and they were all wheezing they all looked at Ron who was still in the pink towel.  
  
"What! You expect me to change towels?!" asked Ron defensively.  
  
"Yeah, I don't want the thing back!" Ginny squealed, plugging her nose and looking horrified. Harry started laughing and Draco joined in.  
  
"Hey Ron, you should add pink to your Hogsmead dress wear, you watch it so well!" laughed Harry.  
  
"Yeah, especially when you look like that!" Draco said, and catcalled and Ron blushed brighter and flipped him off.  
  
"Anytime baby!" then he burst into laughter, and Ginny would have hit him, except she to was laughing.  
  
"Why the hell am I the topic of discussion?!" Ron asked angrily.  
  
"It's because it's just so easy" sneered Snape and this time Hermione burst into a fit of giggles.  
  
"Yeah yeah, pick on the red head...sheesh." He glowered and reached for his own towel when Ginny called out.  
  
"Hey! I still need a towel! So go ahead and use mine, and I'll just use yours." She grinned and laughed when Ron glowered and snorted.  
  
"Fine...." He glowered once more at Ginny then quickly dived back into the water, flipping the towel on the marble of the floor before then, as not to let anyone see him.  
  
Ron re-surfaced to see Ginny talking to the mermaid and Draco, Hermione and Snape were talking about a potion, and Harry was looking at him, a blush across his cheeks. When he saw that Ron was looking at him he turned around and joined into the potion conversation.  
  
A little while later, Ginny leapt up with a triumphant whoop and grinned smugly.  
  
"I've done it! That long of a story..." She looked over at Hermione and she just shrugged and blushed. "I have come up with a song. So now, we can all turn in." She turned around, thanked the mermaid who nodded and lay down on her rock, and turned to see Draco getting up to stretch sore muscles and Hermione and Snape doing the same. Harry and Ron were in a splash fight and Hermione had to whistle loudly for them to stop.  
  
"Well, I'd say this turned out well. Hope we can all trust each other now..." She looked around and noticed that Draco had Ron and Harry in headlocks while Ginny was pleading with him in between her giggles to stop.  
  
Hermione cleared her throat and Draco let go looking sheepish, while Harry and Ron looked at white as sheep while gasping for air. Ginny contained her giggles enough for Hermione to finish.  
  
"Well, I suggest we all head back, for we have rehearsal tomorrow after class at Hogsmead. As the Muggles say, be there, or be square...but that sayings so stupid, so just be there." She smiled and scooted everyone out the door, taking one last peek at the room and looking around it.  
  
"Finally, peace..." She closed the door with a small click but didn't notice the movement of a silvery figure standing behind her. After she disappeared down the hall a face emerged.  
  
"Just you wait, Hermione Granger...I'll get my love back, even if I have to kill you..." The face disappeared and the shadowy figure retreated into the shadows...  
  
(TBC)  
  
Who is it that wishes Hermione's demise? Who could it be? Dun dun duuuuunnn.... Glares at the co. author at the soundboard. She looked sheepish and slinked into a corner muttering "I know.... I do..." and looking from the sound board to the author shakes her head sheesh. Anyway, the chapters are going really good. We did 4 before this one, so there are 4 solid chapters so far. So be happy that I like to type, happy people! For your reviews are what makes us want to post more, I love you all!...However, you flamers? Take your flames to a flame pit and light your arse on fire and sod off...or at least take them else where 


	4. Nightmares of long ago

Disclaimer- J.K. Rowling's character's don't belong to me or my co-author who has helped me through this. And the songs don't belong to the band, but Evanescence. (BTW, this is after the concert, at one of their meetings. They meet at midnight in the Prefect's BR, so your not confused.)  
  
Challengers of the Darkness   
Chapter 4  
Dreams and Nightmares  
  
"Alright everyone. Don't forget about Thursday's meeting. We'll talk about what song we're going to play at Saturdays concert." said Ginny with a smile.  
  
Hermione stood and transfigured her chair back into her outer robes. Snape pushed himself off the floor. Draco stood and helped Ginny up by taking her hand. They all waited for Harry and Ron to pull themselves out of the water, forgetting they where naked.  
  
"You all can go," said Harry, a mischievous grin on his face.  
  
"Fine," said Snape turned to leave but was stopped by a pair of arms around his shoulders.  
  
"See ya tomorrow," came Hermione's voice from behind him. But before he could register that she just hugged him, the arms left and went to the others to hug them as well.  
  
Snape sighed and walked out of the prefect's bathroom. He silently walked down the marble staircase and down to the staircase to the dungeons, but stopped when the sound of footsteps behind him came to his ears. Though they stopped when he stopped. He felt a draft lightly crawl over his nose.  
  
His mind went blank and he felt numb. His limp body fell to the stone stairs, unconscious.  
  
"Goodnight Ginny" said Draco. He hugged her and walked down the marble staircase. He walked to the doorway, which held the downward staircase leading to the dungeons. Though he noticed something, and he ran down them once he saw that it was a body on the last step.  
  
Snape's P.O.V  
  
There was a male voice as I opened my eyes to reveal The White Room.  
  
("You don't remember me,  
But I remember you.")  
  
The door opened and the face of the councilor peered at me.  
  
"You can talk to your friend now Severus." The councilor said harshly and held open the door, kind of like she was forcing herself too.  
  
I sneered at her and scoffed. "My name's Snape lady. Get it right." I bound off to Tom's and my room, which we loved to play in when we wished to be alone.  
  
("I lie awake and try so hard,  
Not to think of you.  
But who can decide what they dream  
And dream I do...")  
  
'The hell?' I whispered when I looked around and noticed Tom sitting in the corner, looking very melancholy.  
  
"Hey, Tom, what's wrong?  
  
("Have you forgotten all you know  
And all we had?")  
  
Tom just shook his head and looked sadder.  
  
"Hey, it cant be that bad! Cheer up...Please?" I touched Tom's hand lightly and Tom looked up sharply at me in surprise. I on instinct withdrew my hand with a snap.  
  
"No! Its okay...Its just...I didn't think you'd want to know..." Tom looked sad again and his head made a soft "Flumph" as it hit his knee when he put them up to hide his face. I went over and sat on my shins and touching his head lightly, bringing Tom's head up to look me in the eyes. Tom had tears streaming down his face and his breath was obviously being controlled.  
  
"What's...wrong?" I asked forcefully.  
  
"I've...Been adopted..." Tom's eyes grew small when I blinked and my face fell into a look as sad as Tom's.  
  
"So...you...should be happy...and...don't worry about me. I'll be okay..." I sighed and closed my eyes, my hands—  
  
("You saw me mourning my love for you  
And touched my hand  
I thought you loved me then")  
  
--moved to Tom's hands. Now it was Tom's turn to reach for my hands, which made them open and showed tears at the corner of my eyes, but wouldn't fall.  
  
"Hey, don't worry, I'll write from the Riddle's house, okay?" He tilted his head and I nodded.  
  
"But I don't know if they'll let the letter through...How will I get them?" I asked, not looking very happy.  
  
"I'll have the postman deliver them right to you! The Riddle's are really rich, so I can do that." he smiled and leaned forward.  
  
"But just between you and me, I'll make their life a livin hell for takin me away from my Severus..."  
  
"Ginny! Hermione!" came Draco's voice from the bottom of the staircase. They turned and saw Draco running up the staircase behind them. From the way he was running they knew something was wrong. They started down the staircase tell they met with Draco, about halfway.  
  
"Draco! What's the matter?" asked Ginny, her voice full of worry.  
  
"Yes...But...Snape...Isn't..." gasped Draco. He held on the handrail for support as he tried to catch his breath.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.  
  
Draco's head rose and looked at the girls.  
  
"Follow me." he said, and he yet again began to run back down the staircase. Ginny and Hermione were not far behind.  
  
Once Draco noticed that it was Snape's body, he had picked him up and carried him to the Hospital Wing. Which now he lead Ginny and Hermione to the entryway.  
  
"Ginny. You and I will go find Harry and Ron," said Draco, once his breathing slowed. "Hermione, you go and watch Snape."  
  
Ginny and Hermione nodded in unison. Hermione opened the doors as Draco and Ginny ran down the hall.  
  
Hermione ran down the rows in between the beds till she found Snape's bed. She walked to stand next to the bed.  
  
"Severus..."  
  
"Your Severus?" I looked at him strangely and he nodded.  
  
"Yes, mine." He smiled and clasped my hands tight.  
  
("I'll give up everything just to find you, I have to be with you, to live, to breathe. I'm taking over you.")  
  
Hermione reached for Snape's hands and leaned over him.  
  
"Severus..."  
  
I looked at him and smiled slightly, not realizing what was happening.  
  
Tom smiled, but his smile looked much older, much more older and I blinked.  
  
"Tom?" I asked confused.  
  
Hermione leaned farther over Snape's body and smiled lightly.  
  
'I wonder if he'll turn into a frog if I kiss him...' she thought to herself amusingly and leaned down to kiss him.  
  
Suddenly I saw Tom's face contort into anger and his hands reached up and grasped my shoulders.  
  
"Severus, promise me you'll never forget me. Even when you're older. Please!" he whispered forcefully and I just nodded numbly.  
  
"Uh, sure Tom. I promise." I smiled and tilted my head cutely, to play, but what happened next shocked me. He leaned forward and captured my lips in a warm kiss that made my heart skip a beat. I looked at him in amazement and watched him deepen the kiss by closing his eyes and licking my lips, seeking entrance.  
  
I opened my mouth a bit wider to say something but his tongue snaked into my mouth and flirted with mine. Against my will, I responded by closing my own eyes and my tongue flirted back playfully. We both wrapped our arms around each other and Tom dug his nails into my back. I gasped and my eyes shot open as I woke up. (AN: Soooooo mean to my readers! Muahahaha!)  
  
(Co. AN: points and giggles at the readers Tee Hee, she is so mean to you people, kee hee hee...)  
  
Hermione captured Snape's lips in a sweet but short kiss, smiling and was about to giggle when Snape's eyes shot open in surprise and was about to force away the intruder, but when he saw it was Hermione, he sighed and raised his hand to her head and pressed up with his own.  
  
Her reaction didn't surprise him. She pulled away; looking horrified that she'd been caught. (AN: Naughty naughty! You'll get caughty!) He just lay there, on his elbows as the others rushed in to see if he was okay, leaving Hermione to think of what had just happened.  
  
(TBC)  
  
Well then! Wasn't that...steamy? So, more chapters to come if you guys review! You know you love it. So, yeah. Have fun with the next chapter. We still have to wire it, but we got 4 of them done in about a day! But we had to sleep. Though I must thank the Quextal, the thing in my Co. Authors head. Thanks Damian! Little thing in Co. Authors head bows Heh, good idea maker. Though some of the ideas went downhill, and no I don't mean we had to get rid of them... coughgutter cough Damnit! Stop controlling the keyboard! Grr... goes to beat Co. Author with monitor again   
  
(Co. AN: smiled over her shoulder...Snape had to share his first kiss!!!!!!! Buwhahaha! Laughs and pouts, muttering something under her breath while running) 


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